Pink Wee!

So off to the Primrose Unit for my first intravenous chemo today. I had to go at 9.00for blood tests which were fine. This is good news; my body has taken the first week of chemo tablets (Capecitabine) without any real side effects apart from the squits and feeling tired.

They mix the chemo up separately for each patient so I couldn't start till about 11.30.

First of all they give you the anti sickness drug which, for some bizarre totally inexplicable reason makes your balls itch for a few minutes. Why? I have no idea! Descried to me as a 'warm feeling' sadly felt more like having crabs (not that I'd know you understand).

I then received two types of chemo. The first was Oxaliplatin which comes through a drip over a couple of hours. The second is Epirubicin which is an injection of raspberry jam coloured stuff. The staff at Primrose are brill, they explain all the side effects some of which start straight away. As the stuff is going in your arm really aches. They give you a hot wheat bag which helps. So far I've noticed pink wee - like eating too much beetroot, tingling in my fingers and lips, and an extreme sensitivity to cold;touching anything even vaguely cold gives you what feels like a small electric shock. I've been told to expect cracked hands and feet and hair loss.

What is really odd is that I still don't feel ill. Strange: yes (nothing new there), tired: certainly (I'm 42 after all) but not ill. Keep praying it stays that way.

Next visit to the unit is on Feb 19th to have a PICC line inserted. This stands for Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter. This is a long, thin, flexible tube which goes into one of the large veins in my arm near your elbow bend. It is pushed into the vein until the tip sits in a large vein near your heart. Because I've got so much chemo coming and need so many blood tests my veins could begin to really suffer. This is a permanent drip line and makes life much easier. Also very handy for direct gin & tonic hook-ups.

Well, I'm under strict instructions to take it easy tonight so off to watch trashy TV now. God bless and thanks for your support!